Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said the West has failed to isolate his country and that Iran is actively working to remove “oppressive sanctions” through nuclear talks.
The president was referring to US sanctions that took effect after Washington pulled out of a nuclear deal in 2018 and after nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
“We will not leave the negotiation table to give the enemy an excuse,” Mr Raisi said on Tuesday.
“The government has not failed in the negotiations and plans for the nation to realise its rights and remove oppressive sanctions. We are also active on other fronts to neutralise sanctions,” he told a news conference in Tehran.
“The enemy tried to follow two strategies: one was to isolate Iran from the world and the other was to discourage the Iranian nation.
“It failed with both strategies. It didn't succeed in isolating Iran.”
Mr Raisi said trade with neighbouring countries had increased by 14 per cent since his government took office in August 2021.
He said joining the Brics – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – bloc of nations would be “a good opportunity for economic prosperity and confronting the unilateralism of the West”.
Mr Raisi touted the recent release of four Americans from Iranian custody into house arrest which would result in the unfreezing of $6 million in its funds from South Korea. The exchange of money for the detainees is expected to take place once the money reaches accounts in Qatar.
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
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